WANGI Wangi Scouts can look forward to some overnight camping adventures thanks to a generous donation from a local business.
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Wangi Wangi IGA supermarket last week donated $490 to the Scouts through the IGA Community Chest Program.
Scouts regional commissioner special duties for the Hunter and Coastal region, Marilyn Hocking, said the donation would make a tremendous difference to the 25 children in the group.
“We’d been trying to do some fundraising because the group has virtually no equipment whatsoever,” Ms Hocking said.
“We’ll have a meeting shortly to decide how to spend the money, but we’ll certainly buy some tents so that we can get the children out and about and camping.”
She said on the rare occasions that the group camps, the families of participating children supply the essential equipment from home.
“As a result, we tend to mainly do day activities, rather than proper camping overnight,” she said.
“We’re a small group. About two years ago we almost disappeared, but we’ve slowly started to grow our numbers again.”
Ms Hocking said Wangi Wangi IGA also supported the Scouts, and other community groups, through its free Saturday morning barbecues.
Wangi Wangi IGA manager, John O’Brien, provides the barbecue, sausages and rolls to organisations for free, and they get to keep the proceeds from sausage sandwiches sold.
“It’s just a wonderful thing that the IGA is doing. They are very supportive of their local community,” Ms Hocking said.
Mr O’Brien said Wangi Wangi Public School, Peter Pan Preschool, the local Lions Club, Men’s Shed and Rural Fire Service brigade were among the groups he had included on a Saturday roster to benefit from the barbecue.
“It’s all about looking after our community and supporting the locals,” he said.
In summer, the groups could pick up between $500 and $700 from a successful barbecue session, he said.
Money for the IGA Community Chest Program, meanwhile, is raised in a number of ways but predominately through the purchase of products with an IGA Community Chest logo on the label or ticket.
About Wangi Scouts
Ms Hocking said the support from Wangi Wangi IGA would help the Scouts to continue to grow.
The group meets in the 1st Wangi Scout Hall, on the lakeside reserve, off Watkins Road.
“Our Joes Scouts (aged 5 to 8 years) meet on Wednesdays from 4.30pm to 5.30pm,” Ms Hocking said.
“And our Cub Scouts (8 to 12 years) meet on Tuesdays from 6pm to 7.30pm.
“We also have two Scouts (older than 12) but we don’t currently have a Scouts leader, so those two children travel to Teralba.”
The group is currently training leaders, and recruiting more Scouts.
Ms Hocking said Scouts offered children a range of fun activities, skill development, outings and activities, while also enabling them to interact with other children, and to learn community values and leadership skills.
“The children learn how to look after their environment as well as the people in their community,” she said.
In short, Scouts aimed to develop children that grew into the sort of adults that every community valued, she said.
Phone Ms Hocking on 0405 227 828 or email moani2@bigpond.com